Hull and keel for a buoyant hunting decoy

ABSTRACT

A buoyant hunting decoy comprising a decoy portion, a wall, a first keel, and a second keel. The wall defines a portion of a hull and the first keel extends downwardly from the wall. The second keel also extends downwardly from the wall and is spaced apart from the first keel.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/991,228, filed May 29, 2018, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a hull and keel for a buoyant huntingdecoy. More specifically, the hull and keel is shaped and weighted toprovide improved and more lifelike characteristics of the buoyanthunting decoy.

Buoyant hunting decoys, such as duck, goose, and other waterfowl huntingdecoys, are well-known hunting devices used by hunters to lure similarwaterfowl to approach a water feature where the hunters may harvest thembefore landing. The hunter may use weighted lines to keep the decoysfrom floating away. In some configurations, hunters pull on an end of ajerk line to induce motion of the decoys to make the decoys appear to bemore lifelike while floating in the water. However, many modern buoyanthunting decoys suffer from drawbacks that prevent or quickly dampenlifelike movements.

As shown in FIG. 1, a prior art buoyant hunting decoy 100 is depicted.The buoyant hunting decoy 100 comprises an upper portion 102 provided inthe form of a duck. A generally flat bottom surface of the upper portion102 forms a hull 104 of the buoyant hunting decoy 100. An elongate andcontinuous keel 106 extends downwardly from the hull 104 and includes alower body 108. The lower body 108 extends laterally along a significantlength of the buoyant hunting decoy 100 and is normally substantiallyhollow and commonly filled with sand to provide weight that keeps thebuoyant hunting decoy 100 upright. The lower body 108 also commonlyincludes line retention slots 110 and/or holes 112 that may be used withweighted lines and/or jerk lines as described above. Due to the designspecifications of the prior art buoyant hunting decoy 100, the behaviorof the buoyant hunting decoy 100 is minimally lifelike and suffers fromcommon drawbacks.

First, when floating in still water, the hunter is required to tug onthe jerk line or the buoyant hunting decoy 100 will be unnaturallystill. In many instances, the weight distribution is spread evenly alongthe length of the buoyant hunting decoy 100 and naturally dampens anybobbing type motion making the buoyant hunting decoy 100 unnaturallystill. Second, even when there are small ripples in the water, thedampening behavior of the weight within the lower body 108 works againstthe motion of the buoyant hunting decoy 100 so that the motion is notlifelike bobbing of a duck in water. Third, when the buoyant huntingdecoy 100 is placed in a stream with a moderate to strong current, thewater passing between the lower body 108 and the flat hull 104 createhydrodynamic forces that cause the front of the buoyant hunting decoy100 to dip deeper into the water, normally causing the head of buoyanthunting decoy 100. This sinking behavior is clearly unnatural and commonamong many brands of decoys on the market today.

Therefore, there is a need for a hull and keel for buoyant huntingdecoys that allows for more lifelike animal behavior, while at the sametime allowing for efficient and cost effective manufacturing.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure may overcome one or more of the aforementioneddrawbacks by providing a buoyant hunting decoy that providessignificantly improved lifelike behavior by bobbing and respondingnaturally to water movement while floating in the water.

According to one aspect, a buoyant hunting decoy includes a decoyportion, a wall, a first keel, and a second keel. The wall defines aportion of a hull and the first keel extends downwardly from the wall.The second keel also extends downwardly from the wall and is spacedapart from the first keel.

According to another aspect, a buoyant hunting decoy includes a decoyportion, a curved bottom wall, a first keel, and a second keel. Thedecoy portion is configured to appear as waterfowl. The curved bottomwall defines a lower portion of a hull and the first keel extendsdownwardly from the curved bottom wall. The second keel also extendsdownwardly from the curved bottom wall and is spaced apart from thefirst keel.

According to a further aspect, a buoyant hunting decoy includes a decoyportion, a curved bottom wall, a first keel, and a second keel. Thedecoy portion is configured to appear as waterfowl. The curved bottomwall defines a lower portion of a hull and the first keel extendsdownwardly from the curved bottom wall. The first keel includes at leastone weight. The second keel also extends downwardly from the curvedbottom wall and is spaced apart from the first keel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial side elevational view of a prior art device;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a buoyant hunting decoy having ahull and weighted keel;

FIG. 3 is a bottom isometric view of the hull and weighted keel of thebuoyant hunting decoy of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the hull and weighted keel of thebuoyant hunting decoy of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the hull and weighted keel of thebuoyant hunting decoy of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the hull and weighted keel of the buoyanthunting decoy of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is an exploded isometric view of an embodiment of a buoyanthunting decoy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and the arrangement of components set forthin the following description or illustrated in the following drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orof being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood thatthe phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein ismeant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereofas well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, theterms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variationsthereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirectmountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected”and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connectionsor couplings.

The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in theart to make and use embodiments of the invention. Various modificationsto the illustrated embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles herein can be applied to otherembodiments and applications without departing from embodiments of theinvention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not intended to belimited to embodiments shown, but are to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. Thefollowing detailed description is to be read with reference to thefigures, in which like elements in different figures have like referencenumerals. The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depictselected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope ofembodiments of the invention. Skilled artisans will recognize theexamples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall withinthe scope of embodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, an illustrative example of a buoyant hunting decoy200 is depicted. The buoyant hunting decoy 200 includes a hull 202attached to and extending downwardly from an upper decoy portion 210.The upper decoy portion 210 is substantially hollow and is colored toresemble a water fowl, such as a male mallard duck. It is contemplatedthat the upper decoy portion 210 may be formed to resemble any speciesof waterfowl or other animals that may be hunted with buoyant huntingdecoys. It is also contemplated that the hull and weighted keel may beused outside of traditional hunting decoys.

The hull 202 and the upper decoy portion 210 are designed to be joinedtogether to form a substantially waterproof unit. In some instances, thehull 202 and the upper decoy portion 210 may be integrally formed in thesame manufacturing process. Furthermore, it is contemplated that thebuoyant hunting decoy 200 be manufactured by a variety of techniquesallowing for a wide range of materials. For example, the buoyant huntingdecoy 200 be formed by wood carving or any number of plastic formingtechniques such as injection molding, blow molding, and a variety ofcasting methods. In some instances, the hull 202 and the upper decoyportion 210 are provided as the same material, for example, high densitypolyethylene (HDPE). In other instances, both the hull 202 and the upperdecoy portion 210 are constructed from a blend of HDPE and low densitypolyethylene (LDPE). It is also contemplated that the hull 202 and theupper decoy portion 210 may be constructed separately from LDPE or HDPE.In some configurations the hull 202 and the upper decoy portion 210 maybe manufactured separately and then assembled into a finished buoyanthunting decoy 200. In other configurations the hull 202 and the upperdecoy portion 210 may be manufactured as a single piece construction.Regardless of manufacturing technique or practice, the hull 202 and theupper decoy portion 210 may be constructed of individual or blendedmaterials to provide the best material properties for a specificportions requirements.

Turning now to FIGS. 3-6, the hull 202 is depicted without the upperdecoy portion 210 so that the details and shape of the hull 202 may beclearly observed. The hull 202 includes a curved bottom wall 204 with afirst keel 206 and a second keel 208 protruding downwardly from the wall204. In some instances, the bottom wall 204 of the hull 202 is curvedand is not flat like the prior art example depicted in FIG. 1. Moreparticularly, the bottom wall 204 is convexly curved from a front end214 of the bottom wall 204 to a rear end 216 of the bottom wall 204 (seeFIG. 4). Likewise, the bottom wall 204 is similarly convexly curved froma left side 218 to a right side 220 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, thecombination of the convex curves from the front end 214 to the rear end216 and the left side 218 to the right side 220 results in the bottomwall 204 taking the form of a complex curved surface. The bottom wall204 is curved to provide better hydrodynamic performance under varyingconditions when compared to the traditional flat bottom prior artbuoyant hunting decoys. In particular, the water flow under and aroundthe hull 202 is improved and results in enhanced lifelike behavior ofthe buoyant hunting decoy 200, in part, due to the complex curvature ofthe bottom wall 204.

Still referring to FIGS. 3-6, the hull 202 also includes the first keel206 and the second keel 208 that protrude downwardly from the bottomwall 204. The first keel 206 and the second keel 208 extend downwardlyfrom an imaginary centerline 222 (see FIG. 3) that extendslongitudinally from the front end 214 to the rear end 216 of the bottomwall 204. A first end 224 of the first keel 206 is positioned proximateto a mid-point of the centerline 222 formed by plane M (see FIG. 4) thatbisects the buoyant hunting decoy 200. A second end 226 of the firstkeel 206 is positioned about three-fourths of the distance between themid-point of the center line and the rear end 216 of the bottom wall.Further, the second keel 208 is positioned about midway between thefront end 214 and the mid-point of the centerline 222.

In the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 2-6, the first keel 206 is locatedon one side of the plane M, and the second keel 208 is located on theopposite side of the plane M, with a gap G formed therebetween. In someembodiments, the length of the gap G is about the same size as thelength of the second keel 208. In other embodiments, the length of thegap G may be modified to accommodate smaller or larger upper decoyportions 210. Further, in some instances, the length of the first keel206 may be approximately twice the length of the second keel 208.

The first keel 206 is provided in the form of a body with a slantedfront wall that extends down, flattens out, and terminates at a roundedfoot. The foot includes a closed line retention hole 236 designed toreceive a line. The body also includes recesses 230 on opposing sides ofthe first keel 206 that are designed to receive one or more weights 228.The recesses 230 are sized to correspond to the shape and size of theweights 228. The weights 228 are coupled to the first keel 206 through acentral wall (not shown) by a pair of rivets 232. It is contemplatedthat the weights 228 may be retained to each side of the first keel 206by any number of fastening methods such as screws, glue, nails, and thelike known to one of ordinary skill in the art.

The weights 228 are provided in the form of one or more thin plates (seeFIG. 7) that have a curved lower surface and a substantially flat uppersurface. In one instance, a single plate is provided for each side ofthe first keel 206. In another instance, a plurality of plates may beprovided. For example, two plates may be provided for each side of thefirst keel 206. The weights 228 may also include a logo or anotherinsignia on a surface thereof.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the weights 228 are designed to havea combined mass of about 85 grams for a common mallard duck decoy asdepicted in FIG. 2. In other embodiments, the mass is at least 85 grams.In further embodiments, the mass is between about 70 grams and about 100grams. It should be appreciated that the mass of the weights may beincreased depending on the size of the buoyant hunting decoy 200. Oneillustrative example is a buoyant hunting decoy shaped and decorated asa larger Canadian goose. Regardless of the species, the hull 202 andweighted keel 206 require less mass to keep the buoyant hunting decoy200 upright in the water as compared to prior art keels, whilepermitting significantly improved lifelike movement and behavior in thewater. For a standard mallard or comparable duck decoy, about 85 grams(about 3.0 ounces) to about 125 grams (about 4.4 ounces) is believed tobe about the minimum weight to ensure the decoy will right itself in thewater if knocked over depending on the size and shape of the decoy.

It is contemplated that the weights 228 are manufactured from acorrosion resistant metal or are treated and/or painted/coated toprevent corrosion. Some exemplary metals include any number of stainlesssteel alloys, including but not limited to 304 stainless steel, bronzealloys, and aluminum alloys. While the use of metal may increase themanufacturing cost slightly, it is an improvement of the prior art's useof sand in the body 108 by providing a smaller volume with higherdensity to maximize the effects on the weight distribution andpositioning close to the bottom wall 204. It is contemplated that thematerials used for the weights may be made from a variety of materialsknown to one having ordinary skill in the art.

Still referring to FIGS. 3-6, the second keel 208 protrudes downwardlyfrom the wall 204 and is defined by a body with a sloping surface thatterminates at a front foot. The body includes a pair of recesses 234 onopposing sides of the body and numerous openings provided in the form ofa closed line retention hole 236 and an open line retention hole 238.The open and closed line retention holes 236, 238 may be used toconfigure the buoyant hunting decoy 200 with a variety of arrangementsby a hunter. It is contemplated that any number of holes or slots may bepresent to offer numerous configuration and line retention options to ahunter.

The second keel 208 includes a second protrusion 250 that creates asecond line retention notch 252. Likewise, the first keel 206 alsoincludes an opposing first protrusion 254 that creates a first lineretention notch 256. The first and second line retention notches 256,254 may be used with the open and closed line retention holes 236, 238to provide storage and customizable deployment configurations for aweight line. A weight line may include a clip at one end to be attachedto one of the closed retention holes 236. The excess weight line may bewrapped around both the first and second keels 206, 208 within the firstand second line retention notches 256, 254. Depending on the depth ofthe water, the appropriate amount of weight line may be provided belowthe buoyant hunting decoy 200 and hooked through the open retention hole236 to prevent the excess line from unraveling. For storage, the weightline may be fully wrapped around the first and second keels 206, 208within the first and second line retention notches 256, 254 and thenhooked through the open retention hole 236 to prevent the weight linefrom unraveling.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3-6, the weights 228 are positioned adjacent thebottom wall 204 and centered on opposing sides of the centerline 222.Also, the weights 228 are positioned behind the midpoint of thecenterline giving the weights 228 a rearward bias effect on the centerof gravity of the buoyant hunting decoy 200. The reward bias of thecenter of gravity is also affected by the reduction of mass in thesecond keel 208 from the recesses 234. The combination of the complexcurve shape of the bottom wall 204 and the weight distribution bypositioning the weights 228 below a reward portion of the buoyanthunting decoy 200 and just below or adjacent to the bottom wall 204permit significantly improved lifelike behavior of the buoyant huntingdecoy 200.

The weight distribution and shape of the hull 202 also permit theimproved natural lifelike bobbing and movement in the water to persistlonger that the prior art buoyant hunting decoy 100. The weight andposition of the lower body 108 of the prior art buoyant hunting decoy100 has a severe dampening effect that is significantly overcome by theshape and weight distribution of the hull 202. By overcoming thedampening effect of the prior art devices, the buoyant hunting decoy 200bobs and moves longer without requiring a jerk line. Furthermore, if ahunter still desires a jerk line to increase the movement of the buoyanthunting decoy 200, less effort is required to maintain persistentmovement when a hunter pulls on the jerk line attached to the buoyanthunting decoy 200. This permits the hunter to pay more attention toapproaching animals attracted by the buoyant hunting decoy 200.

Furthermore, the weights 228 are also positioned parallel to an interiorwall and within the recesses 230 of the first keel 206. By keeping theweight close to the bottom wall 204 and positioned vertically, thebuoyant hunting decoy 200 also has improved tracking and movement incurrents and/or choppy moving water. The structure of the hull 202substantially reduces the tendency of the front end 214 to be pulleddownward by hydrodynamic forces that are created by the water flowbetween the flat bottom hull 104 and the lower body 108 attached belowthe keel 106 of the prior art buoyant hunting decoy 100 as shown in FIG.1.

The shape of the hull 202 and weighted keel 206 also provide afunctional esthetic as well as improved lifelike performance. The firstand second keels 206, 208 are smaller and allow the buoyant huntingdecoy 200 to be deployed in a larger variety of environments from fastermoving currents to shallow still waters. Furthermore, as a result of theshape, the buoyant hunting decoy 200 may be pressed into a wet bank orshoreline to appear as a nesting or resting hunting decoy with lesseffort that the prior art design presented.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a buoyant hunting decoy 200 is depicted with anexploded view of the weights 228 illustrating the attachment method. Asshown, the weights 288 comprise four individual weights 228 that arecoupled together and attached to the first keel 206 via the rivets 232that extend through the weights 288 and the weight retention holes 242.

It is contemplated that in some configurations of the improved hull 202the rivets 232 may be replaced by fastening mechanisms described hereinthat permit changing the number or mass of weights 228 coupled to thefirst keel 206. It is also contemplated that the number and/or mass ofthe weights 228 may be adjusted by a user based upon environmentalconditions and/or personal preferences of the user. During differentenvironmental conditions, on a windy day for example, a user may wish toincrease or decrease the number and/or mass of the weights 228 to adjustthe behavior of the buoyant hunting decoy 200 depending on the body ofwater that the buoyant hunting decoy 200 is to be deployed in.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while theinvention has been described above in connection with particularembodiments and examples, the invention is not necessarily so limited,and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications anddepartures from the embodiments, examples and uses are intended to beencompassed by the claims attached hereto. The entire disclosure of eachpatent and publication cited herein is incorporated by reference, as ifeach such patent or publication were individually incorporated byreference herein.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

A buoyant hunting decoy that provides improved lifelike behavior in thewater is presented. A hunter may experience significantly improvedperformance in attracting and harvesting game as the buoyant huntingdecoy of the present disclosure requires less attention and effort toprovide improved performance over the prior art.

Numerous modifications to the present invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description.Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative onlyand is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art tomake and use the invention and to teach the best mode of carrying outsame. The exclusive rights to all modifications which come within thescope of the appended claims are reserved.

We claim:
 1. A buoyant hunting decoy, comprising: a decoy portion; atleast one keel extending downwardly from the decoy portion, the keeldefining a recess therein; and a weight fixedly secured in the recess tothe at least one keel.
 2. The buoyant hunting decoy of claim 1, whereinthe at least one keel and the weight are disposed along a longitudinalaxis.
 3. The buoyant hunting decoy of claim 1, further comprising afastener securing the weight in the recess.
 4. The buoyant hunting decoyof claim 3, the fastener selected from the group consisting of a rivet,a screw, glue, and a nail.
 5. The buoyant hunting decoy of claim 1,wherein the weight comprises metal.
 6. The buoyant hunting decoy ofclaim 1, wherein the decoy portion and the at least one keel define aunitary structure.
 7. The buoyant hunting decoy of claim 6, wherein thedecoy portion and the at least one keel comprise a plastic material. 8.The buoyant hunting decoy of claim 6, wherein the unitary structuredefines a substantially hollow interior.
 9. The buoyant hunting decoy ofclaim 1, wherein the decoy portion has a configuration of a waterfowl.10. The buoyant hunting decoy of claim 1, wherein the decoy portiondefines a line retention hole therethrough.
 11. A buoyant hunting decoy,comprising: a decoy portion; a first keel extending downwardly from thedecoy portion; a second keel extending downwardly from the decoy portionand spaced apart from the first keel.
 12. The buoyant hunting decoy ofclaim 11, wherein at least one of the first keel and the second keeldefines a recess therein configured to receive a weight in the recess.13. The buoyant hunting decoy of claim 12, further comprising a weightfixedly secured to the at least one keel in the recess of the at leastone keel.
 14. The buoyant hunting decoy of claim 13, further comprisinga fastener securing the weight in the recess to the at least one keel,the fastener selected from the group consisting of a rivet, a screw,glue, and a nail.
 15. The buoyant hunting decoy of claim 11, wherein thedecoy portion, the first keel, and the second keel define a unitarystructure.
 16. A buoyant hunting decoy, comprising: an upper portion; afirst keel defining a first recess therein and at least one weightfixedly secured to the first keel in the recess; a second keel spacedapart from the first keel, the first and second keels defining a lowerportion of the decoy.
 17. The buoyant hunting decoy of claim 16, whereinthe upper portion and the lower portion define a unitary structurecomprising a plastic material.
 18. The buoyant hunting decoy of claim17, wherein the unitary structure defines a substantially hollowinterior of the decoy.
 19. The buoyant hunting decoy of claim 17,wherein the plastic material is a copolymer.
 20. The buoyant huntingdecoy of claim 19, wherein the copolymer comprises a thermoplasticmaterial.